BRIDPORT 1 BISHOP SUTTON 1

(AET, Bishop Sutton win 5-3 on penalties)

BRAVE Bridport suffered Les Phillips Cup semi-final heartache after losing to Bishop Sutton on a dramatic penalty shoot-out.

Goalkeeper Jamie Fry had turned in an inspired performance – brilliantly saving two second-half spot-kicks – but was unable to reproduce such heroics in sudden-death.

Bees’ skipper Darren Lock spurned his side’s fourth penalty before Liam Farmer converted to book the visitors a date with Hallen in the showpiece.

Earlier, Dan Wise had cancelled out a Rob Smart header to send the tie into extra-time, only for underdogs Bridport to fall tantalisingly short of claiming another famous scalp.

Nonetheless, Trevor Senior was full of admiration for his patched-up squad, which was shorn of Matt Condliffe, Ashley Clarke and Sam Charles.

The Bees’ boss said: “Obviously I’m disappointed we didn’t go through, but we can take a lot of heart as we’ve matched teams in a higher league on a number of occasions.

“We came into the match with a game plan of playing one up front, because I wanted to nullify their attacking threat, and I thought we did that.

“There were people playing through the pain barrier and you can’t ask for any more. It was an exciting game and I’m proud of the way everyone battled away.

“We’ve had a lot of games recently and were running on adrenaline. I was really pleased, especially with the second half because we had a go.”

He added: “I wondered if we were going to nick one at the end but it wasn’t to be. Good luck to Bishop Sutton, because if they had lost they’d have probably felt aggrieved.”

Darren Watts limped off early on after aggravating his ankle injury, and Bridport’s hopes receded further when Smart stooped low to nod past Fry at the near post.

The Bees survived additional damage before the interval, but a foul by Chris Clarke on playmaker Farmer earned the visitors a penalty.

However, Fry, who has reinvented himself as an extremely competent custodian, sprang acrobatically to his right to parry Smart’s spot-kick wide of the target.

And the tables had well and truly turned once Wise drilled home a 20-yard free-kick to send the bumper St Mary’s Field crowd into raptures beneath the spring sunshine.

Elation turned to deflation when Bishop Sutton were awarded another penalty, but home fans need not have worried because Fry pulled off an identical save to foil Kyle Holly.

With full-time beckoning, visiting gloveman Chris Blammon was fortunate to escape only with a yellow card after appearing to throw a punch at Roger Cummings.

A tense but goalless extra-time followed and with the shoot-out score at 4-3 to Bishop Sutton, Lock blazed over and it was left to Farmer to extinguish Bridport’s dreams.

Bees: Fry, A Symes, C Clarke, Lock, Hill, Hayter, J Symes, Wise, Senior (Cummings 62), Watts (G Bulman 4 (C Bulman 72)), Jones.

Booked: Hayter, Cummings.

Attendance: 118.

Man of the Match: Jamie Fry